Just north of the university, 14 sublimely private and controlled acres deploy a succession of gardens crazed with flowers and trees, separated by little gates and laid out with the whimsy of an English estate.

Enveloped by the Santa Catalina Mountains and backed by a waterfall, the 371-room Loews is a serene spot where, paradoxically, there's plenty to do: visit the brand-new spa, hike, splash in the pools, or play golf on the resort's 36 holes.

Hammered-tin lamps and carved-beam ceilings add old-world atmosphere to this charming property. Set in the Catalina foothills, the 1929 former girls’ boarding school has lush gardens and an award-winning restaurant.

Arizona has handful of wellness-oriented desert retreats, but Miraval Resort & Spa, 55 miles north of Tucson, stands out for an all-inclusive nightly rate that includes some spa treatments and activities (dance fusion, cocktail and cooking classes, and Pilates, to name a few).

After the debut Tuscon property opened in 1979, Canyon Ranch owners Mel and Enid Zuckerman brought their philosophy of achieving happiness through health and wellness to a variety of new venues and locations.

Set just 30 miles north of Tucson, this 253-room resort feels blissfully apart. It’s the kind of place where activities are encouraged—there are, for example, 20 miles of hiking trails and 27 holes of Jack Nicklaus–designed golf—but you’re never overscheduled.

The Apache Trail is a 40-mile route that curves east from Phoenix past towering saguaros. At its end lies the Noftsger Hill Inn Bed & Breakfast, a 1907 former schoolhouse overlooking the historic mining town of Globe.